Extended Reality (XR) encompasses a vast and diverse landscape of technologies, from augmented reality (AR) to virtual reality (VR) and the metaverse. While these technologies are often homogenized and standardized, a vibrant history of creativity and innovation underlies their evolution.
BetaCamp XR: A StreamingPARTY Celebrating the Rich History of XR
LEV Festival (Spain) and iMAL (Belgium), in collaboration with the European project Realities in Transition, are proud to present BetaCamp XR, a three-day streamingPARTY celebrating the diversity and rich history of XR.
The event, taking place on July 4, 5, and 6, 2024, will showcase a range of projects and discussions that highlight the influence of XR on contemporary culture.
A Celebration of Innovation and Community
BetaCamp XR will feature:
Project Showcases: Presentations of cutting-edge XR projects like Space’s Popular “The Portal Galleries” and the pioneering avatar artist LaTurbo Avedon.
Panel Discussions: Engaging conversations with European creators like Deletere Studio about the future of XR.
Behind-the-Scenes Tours: Exclusive visits to spaces where XR is imagined and produced.
Community Gatherings: Virtual meeting places and parties like NeuroDungeon’s NeuroXcape and Metaverse tours guided by creators like MetaRick.
Art and Activism: Presentations of projects like “The Uncensored Library,” showcasing the potential of XR for social good.
Program includes: the presentation of projects like Space’s Popular “The Portal Galleries”, or the pioneer avatar artist LaTurbo Avedon. Discussions around the work of other European creators like Deletere studio, and visits to the places where extended realities are imagined and produced. It will also feature presentations of committed projects like “The Uncensored Library”, virtual meeting places and parties like NeuroDungeon’s NeuroXcape and Metaverse tours guided by their own creators like Uncanny Alley by MetaRick. Thanks to the work of artists, we will step into the borders of the XR concept, challenging stereotypes and clichés.
In the context of the European project Realities in Transition, LEV Festival (Spain) and iMAL (Belgium) present BetaCamp XR, a streamingPARTY which wants to celebrate this diversity and this nostalgia, while inviting us to reflect on the future of Extended Realities in the European context, reminding us about how valuable have these technologies been in the past, due to their rich history. As Úrsula K. Le Guin said in her essays about Fantasy and Science-Fiction: “At this point, realism is perhaps the least adequate means of understanding or portraying the incredible realities of our existence”.
BetaCamp XR aims to celebrate the extraordinary history of XR, challenging the notion of a singular, standardized experience.
This event is a call for everyone, from XR enthusiasts to curious individuals, to join a celebration of creativity, innovation, and the power of XR to transform our world.
L.E.V. LINE UP – BetaCamp XR streamingPARTY
LaTurbo Avedon. Dandelion (Infinite Wishes and Simulation Era Practices)
Welcome talk
Shoeg. We Are The AI Resynthesizers _ES
Presentation of the virtual space for Realities in Transition
Adelin Schweitzer. deletere labs _FR
XR Studio presentation
Liveforevr XR LAB. Ultravioleta Immersive Podcast: Appsolescencia _ES
XR Studio presentation
Space Popular. Portal Galleries _ES
Site-specific VR installation visit
Neurodungeon. NeuroXcape eRave _ES
Virtual Reality Rave / Online Exhibition
PatriHorrillo. Uncensored Library Project by Reporters without Borders Germany
Project presentation from Minecraft
ArsGames _ES
Art and Videogames projects presentation
Jordan Moutamani. ASTREA
Expert talk from the XR Industry
Rick Treweek (MetaRick). Uncanny Alley – Into The Metaverse _ZA
Kevin Mack. Namuanki _US
VRChat guided tours
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WHAT IS LEV?
LEV (Laboratorio de Electrónica Visual) is a platform of production, promotion and experimentation related to electronic sound creations, audiovisual creations and digital art.
An open area of research which uses the latest technological tools to explore contemporary creation with national and international avant-garde artists and new and trailblazing creators, performing several activities and shows in public spaces.
The platform’s two big annual events are LEV Festival, in Gijón, and LEV Matadero, in Madrid.
Two largely attended festivals which serve as a meeting point to provide an all-round, eclectic view of the current state of sound, audiovisual and digital creations, and its constant evolution and connections with different disciplines, through live shows and audiovisual performances, concerts, immersive events of virtual and augmented reality, digital explorations, installations and exhibitions, among other activities.
A schedule formed by works promoted and developed by the platform itself, plus co-productions and samples of independent works by several creators.
Beyond these two milestones, LEV keeps working throughout the whole year with offshore events called LEVents, artistic residencies to promote experimentation, research and project development, presentations, workshops about creative digital tools, plus the platform’s involvement and collaboration with institutions, national and international networks, and specific projects in the same scope.
Innovation has been LEV’s prime mover during its 18 years of activity, with each action aiming to break the mould and go beyond the limits of creativity, trying to avoid trite and established approaches and procedures. Like creative trends, LEV mutates and evolves, following the pulse of today’s new narratives and possibilities in this constantly changing artistic field, to make them available to anyone interested in immersing themselves in the most surprising, avant-garde side of contemporary digital creation.
